Reviews with content warning for Racism - Fake Dates and Mooncakes

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

29 reviews

bookwormbi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was entertaining as hell and I very much was kicking and screaming the entire time I was reading. Whatever Sher Lee’s smoking, I want some

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wardenred's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Feel free to tell your nosy aunt to mind her own business…but what’s holding you back?”
I shrug. “He lives in a huge mansion and drives a Ferrari. I ride a bike with a squeaky front wheel. Our worlds are as far apart as the sun and the moon.”
“They align every now and then,” Aunt Jade points out. “Eclipses are pretty memorable.”

In many ways, this was an amazingly cute and witty YA romcom. I smiled and got emotional so many times while I read it. The characters grew quickly on me, especially Dylan, and I enjoyed reading about their very different family lives: Dylan's for that great family feel where a bunch of people are genuinely loving and supportive, Theo's for the glorious mess. There was a lot of cozy foodie stuff, a lot of interesting cultural details about Singapore, and the mutual pining-fueled fake dating trope was executed so well. I feel like the part of the story that focuses on Dylan's grief was handled sensitively and relatably.

However, there were some problems here and there that broke my immersion sometimes. One of them was how injecting all those interesting cultural details was handled: a bit heavy-handed. I guess all those mini-lectures made sense, since Theo was explicitly looking to learn about his heritage and Dylan was helping him. But they still often felt like mini-lectures inserted into the narrative instead of a genuine part of it.

Another was the approach to the whole class difference things. Some aspects of it were definitely glossed over, and sometimes people like Dylan's family just acted like the problem was entirely in Dylan's head and he should simply embrace the romance with Theo. Despite the fact that Theo is just throwing money at problems left and right, and Dylan's family is struggling. Though this brings me to another point: I feel like the story might ring better if Dylan was just average, not struggling. Because the struggles get brought up when it matters to the plot, such as when Dylan should get to swoop in and save the family's business, and the rest of the time Dylan and his cousin are all, "Trendy haircuts in salons! Favorite band's concerts and merch!" without any of it being a problem, or a reason to then cut back on something else, etc. That... doesn't match my own experience with major we're-about-to-lose-everything financial struggles.

Finally, something that detracted from my investment in the boys' relationship was Theo's friendship with Adrian that harder ever wavered despite all the shitty things Adrian did. I wish the shittiness was acknowledged and dealt with better, instead of sweeping a lot of it under the rug. Although the more I think of it, the more I kind of understand why Theo holds on to this friendship like this and treats Adrian's shittiness like this. It makes sense for the character, but I wish there was still a bit more focus on how this isn't okay.

All in all, though? Lots of cuteness, very tropey in a good way, awful rich people problems are amusing, and it was great that no matter what messes built up around the two leads, homophobia was never part of the equation. A nice and easy summer read to finish off June.

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Cute rom com but I wanted more of Dylan and his competition instead of Theo & his highly odd family. Clover is adorable. The food descriptions really made me want to try food from Singapore a lot.

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evelynyle_88's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What a fun ride reading this cute and funny book! Fake Dates and Mooncakes brings my feels of giddy and all smiey faces. I love this book so much. I love Theo and Dylan. I love Tim. I love Aunt Jade, Aunt Malia and Aunt Catherine. I love Megan. I love Clover, the corgi. Much of all, I FREAKING LOVE TERRI.

Yeah, she maybe has issues... but, I tried to understand herself and why she became like that. After all, I love in the end that she turns out to be a better person after rehab. Plus, the mooncakes making and the authentic feels about being Indonesian; as a part of Asians country when some cuisines and culinary ingredients from my country, Indonesia... appeared and written in the book.

This is a simple book with a sweet romance like Heartstopper and a conflict like Crazy Rich Asians indeed. And I love how Theo finally choose Dylan over his domineering father, Malcolm Somers. He is adulting and I love that!

I applaud Sher Lee for bringing the Asian heritage to a work of fiction. This book for me isn't just about a cute romance, but also... find a way to win someone's heart. And the most important thing is... the knowledges from the Chinese (Singaporean) cuisines. I love learning Singaporean Chinese culture from their cuisines.

Thank you, Sher! This book is a 5⭐ worthy. Indeed! Literally sweet; just like the mooncakes.

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oddlyghoul's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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bianchibooks's review against another edition

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3.0

There are probably a painful number of typos in this review, I am very bored and tired and I do not think anything I am saying is making sense right now LOL

I flew through the beginning of this book but as it continued, it started to drag and my patience towards how many pages I could finish in a single sitting started to dwindle faster than I would have liked. I appreciate authors who use vivid detail and imagery in their writing as any other reader does, but describing every single minuscule step in the mooncake baking process during the contest, for example, was not necessary to me. It is a YA novel, everyone reading predicted Dylan and his family would win the contest... and they were right! It felt like the author was delaying the inevitable just for the sake of a higher word count.

I have not read Crazy Rich Asians so I am probably not the most qualified person to comment on the relationship between the two novels, but having the story compared to Crazy Rich Asians by the characters in the story as it is happening made it seem as though the author doesn't believe this story can live on its own, which is a shame because I believe it can - it just does not appear to be given the chance to.

Some of the character elements were not fleshed out as much as I hoped for. For almost the entire novel, Theo is seen as a heartless rich boy. His relationship with his deceased Spoilermother was frequently mentioned, as was Dylan's, but I believe it would have been beneficial to include less about the mooncakes and more about the boys' grief as this would have been a way stronger point in strengthing the bond between Theo and Dylan.

Overall, I would have liked to see Megan's character developed more. All I know is that she liked Blackpink and seeing as she is basically Dylan's sister and she works so closely with him, Jade and Tim who are all relatively fleshed out characters, the constant Blackpink references gave me déjà vu.

The writing wasn't all bad though: I found the inclusion of Asian culture in this story to be very naturally fused. At some times it felt a little preachy and heavy-handed but for the most part, it provided an educational experience on tradition, and that is wonderful for a person like me who genuinely enjoys learning about how other cultures celebrate their families, friends, and community as a greater whole. It was also lovely to see Lee's passion exampled in her own writing as it is extremely obvious she is a fervent person.

For an insta-love style romance, there was the right mix of this instant love and slow burning to create a worthwhile payoff when Theo and Dylan finally actually get together as the real Theo and Dylan instead of fake dating Theo and Dylan. After that, it became increasingly sweet until I had a I am going to rip my molars out of my skull and feed them to a dog style toothache.

If you are looking for a sweet LGBTQIA+ romance, this is the perfect read to pick up for pride month. I cannot say that I'd consider reading it again, but I can say I am happy I read it once!

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pey333's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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james1star's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved this book so much. It’s not often I pick up something in the romance genre, queer or not, but I am beyond happy I found Lee’s debut. I can’t really say a single bad thing about it at all, I wholeheartedly adored this story and characters. I guess there’s an element of insta love which some people don’t like but in my opinion it’s reduced to nothing in comparison to what the book does well. I practically ate Fake Dates and Mooncakes up and didn’t want to put it down at all, I was truly encapsulated.

In terms of plot, we follow the narrative seventeen year old Dylan’s first person POV starting his senior year. He’s juggling school with helping out at his Auntie Jade’s stifling Singaporean Chinese takeout in Brooklyn and when a delivery gets mixed up he sees Theo and things advance from here. Both boys come from completely different worlds but it’s clear from the start a connection is growing and then Theo invites Dylan to be his fake date to a wedding where he’s introduced to some crazy rich drama. Whilst this is going on, he needs to find a way to help out the takeout and a Mid-Autumn Mooncake making contest might just be the answer. His mother who sadly recently died planned to enter the completion recreating his Por Por (grandmother’s) special blue mooncakes but there’s a problem as she’s forgotten the recipe. There is also so much more to the story but I want everyone to read it so I won’t say anymore.

So I loved the story like majorly but omfg the characters!! The characters in this book were just wow… I completely adored them. Dylan is the perfect protagonist with many layers, he’s human so does things that make you a bit annoyed but he is so pure of heart. His love for his family, the takeout, his future and others is immense and so beautifully to read. Additionally his knowledge of Chinese culture, language, customs and history is fascinating and it’s clear he’s been brought up well fusing traditional and contemporary ideals - he and Theo are both out before the book starts and not once does someone question or attack their identities as young gay men and which is lovely to see, my heart is full. Now we come to Theo who too is a wonder and delight to read, he’s from money and clearly has had a childhood influenced by it but unlike others in his family in some ways doesn’t care about it. Or more accurately doesn’t let it impact how he sees the world and others, he’s much more ‘down to earth’ and caring. His relationship with his dad is very strained and certain parts really upset me but the love and acceptable - and I guess ‘found family’ aspect - from Dylan’s family was amazing. Auntie Jade was also lovely, she’s a tough women prepared to fight what she has and a determination to succeed despite the battles she’s up against, the way she took Dylan in after his mother’s passing was great knowing she too lost a sister and the love she showed him throughout was pure bliss. Her children allowed showed the same affection, Megan was hilarious at times with her quick wit and great personality and little Tim was again great - I wish there were more of his personality at times maybe exploring more of his ‘by the book’ tendencies but that would’ve been a bonus. Theo’s cousin Terri was too great, she’s shown to deal with an alcohol problem as a result of family drama but this is portrayed in a mature and positive way. Like Megan she’s funny and an amazing ally to her cousin. Theo’s auntie Catherine and her wife Malia was an added lesbian love piled on top which I again ate up, they’re great and so supportive, acting like a rock surrounded by the drama. Other members of his family, most notably his dad Malcom and aunt Lucia were quite unlikable but had redeeming qualities too. Dylan’s mum, despite not being present, was just wonderful and I did cry at points where she’s mentioned - her love for Dylan and animals was great (I’m running out of positive words here!). Penultimately, his grandparents Por Por and Gong Gong were nice, I wish we saw more of them but I guess it was enough. And finally… drum roll please for the super sweet and lovable Clover the corgi (Dylan’s dog) who was just an added sweetness I didn’t know I needed.

Whilst it’s not a literary masterpiece, I feel this can be pushed aside given it’s a YA book and hence the language is aimed at younger readers. It’s not terrible by any means and I found not a single flaw at all. It’s engaging, fast paced and sweet just like the plot and characters being described. Something that shone out was the inclusion of Chinese phrases and other cultural themes which were interesting and I throughly enjoyed reading about them. One example was the saying Dylan came back to quite a few times: yôu yuán qiān lì lái xiāng huì which translates to ‘We have the destiny to meet across a thousand miles’ just beautiful.

Dylan and Theo came from different worlds, I mean he even said “…Our worlds are as far apart as the sun and the moon."

"They align every now and then, Aunt Jade points out. "Eclipses are pretty memorable.” They are, and so was this book. Go on give it a read and let yourself feel some joy because I can bet you can’t read this without smiling nearly throughout. I cannot wait for Lee’s next book because there better be one!

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cozyscones's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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displacedcactus's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

This is a mostly light, quick-paced, cute gay rom-com. It's on the sweet end of things, with a few kisses. There's a really cute corgi and a lot of delicious food, and even the antagonistic members of the love interest's family don't make an issue of the characters being gay.

Personally, I found the book to be a little too fast-paced. I wanted more time both to get to know Dylan, our MC, and Theo, our love interest. I wanted more time to absorb the emotional impact of some of the major plot-beats. But at around 200 pages, this book has no time to waste and goes pretty quickly from point to point until we screech to the finish line of a happy ending.

Also, I'm generally not a fan of the "rich boyfriend" style of romance. I'd rather daydream of a world where we fix the societal issues, rather than having a hot, rich guy throw money at my personal problems. I wouldn't have picked this book up at all, except that I am contractually obligated to read any book I see with a corgi on the cover.

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